Supreme Court Questions Plea to Ban Pellet Guns for Crowd Control

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India raised concerns regarding a petition that seeks a nationwide prohibition on the use of pellet guns for managing crowds. The court characterized the plea as 'vague,' noting that it fails to challenge the existing police regulations that allow for the deployment of such weapons under specific circumstances. This observation came from a bench that included Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana, as they reviewed the case brought forth by Yashovardhan Azad, a former Indian Police Service officer and ex-Central Information Commissioner, along with two individuals who reported injuries from pellet guns during the 'Sansad Chalo' protest held on July 20 at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The protest was organized in response to allegations surrounding a leak of the NEET examination paper.

During the proceedings, senior advocate Vrinda Grover, representing the petitioners, contended that members of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) had employed metallic pellets, which were later discovered lodged in the bodies of the injured demonstrators. She clarified that her argument was not against the presence of pellet guns in the RAF's arsenal but focused on the specific use of metallic pellets during the protest. Justice Bagchi interjected, emphasizing that any request for a blanket ban on pellet guns could not be properly considered without first addressing the regulations that permit their use in exceptional situations. The judge pointed out that the petition's initial request was ambiguous since it did not directly challenge the legal framework governing the use of these weapons.